


I Can't Keep With This

by Moody_Akira



Series: The Ricochet Theory [4]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Blood, Eating Disorder, F/M, Self Harm, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-15
Updated: 2015-08-15
Packaged: 2018-04-14 18:37:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4575360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moody_Akira/pseuds/Moody_Akira
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nathan takes one long look in his mirror and reflects on himself. God he was disgusting. An eyesore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Can't Keep With This

**Author's Note:**

> A gift for RottenPlantt on Tumblr.

His mirror taunted him. The person looking back at him glared. Hands flat on his dresser and he exhaled.

The cloudy blue eyes that once held so much life as a child were dormant and almost full of hatred and anger. His eyes were bloodshot red. When was the last time Nathan Prescott actually got some decent rest?

Who knows, but Nathan couldn't give two shits. No one else did. Well...he thought no one else did.

But staring at his hideous reflection in the mirror brought tears to his eyes. The air was cold, making those little scars up and down his arms become darker. Stretch marks on his nonexistent tummy were red. Jesus Christ he was disgusting. Horrid. An eye sore. Why did she love him? Why did Max even care?

She took care of his fresh wounds from his fight the other week with some asshole who dared disrespect her, and his bruised knuckles were still healing.

Dark purple bruises were over his jaw and eye reminded him of  when he got in a fight with Warren. Blood dripped drop his broken nose. The younger boy's fists broke the skin and he just didn't stop hitting him until Max screamed for him to stop.

_"WARREN YOU'RE KILLING HIM!"_

_Please do.._.Nathan thought as he punches kept coming until Max Caulfield yanked Warren off of him. He just welcomed the idea of it just all ending. Death was just an embrace he wanted and seeing Max tear his assailant away angered him even more.

But tears welled in her innocent blue eyes. Tiny hands wrung themselves in Warren's shirt and tore him away. Her voice almost broke when she screamed. Nathan swore he saw a tear fall from Max's eye.

Like he cared. Like she even cared.

Chloe grabbed his gun and led Warren out of the dorm. But Max stayed behind, shaking from all that had happened.

"Everyone hates me," he whimpered in his hands.

Everything hurt. His nose was broken he could feel that. Blood stained the floor and his clothes.

Max looked over at him, curling up in a ball. This was fucking humiliating.

"Nathan..."

She reached over to held him but he flinched at her touch.

"Don't fucking touch me, Max," he cried. He coughed from all the phlegm and tar in his lungs. Nathan couldn't be intimidating on the floor in fetal position. But she didn't listen.

"Nathan please...let-let me help you...please..." Her soft voice was cracking.

Nathan hated hearing her cry. Sure she was a bitchy girl, but this girl saved him from death. He wanted to die so much. And she stopped him from falling in the darkness.

Her gentle hands went to his, trying to take them away from his wounded face.

Nathan let her. His sleeve rolled down.

_Fuck._

"I h-have some first aid stuff in my bag. I'll get a wash cloth," she said softly, helping him back on his feet and guiding him back to his room.

Why was she doing this? She hated him didn't she? Why was she helping him?

Sitting him on his bed, she left her bag on his couch and ran to the boy's bathroom with a washcloth to wet and warm the towel, and as he sat there, blood dripped from his broken nose and into his hand. He’s certainly had far worse but still, everything hurt him. This was the second time that year he’s had his nose broken, but once by Jefferson and once by Warren.   
  


Being beat up wasn’t news to him, but to Max, seeing the lion being shaved of his prideful mane was a first. He was no lion. He was a coward. A failure.

And that evening, she took care of him, cleaning his wounds from infection. He would need a doctor to fix his broken nose though. She could snap it back into place, but this wasn’t her place.   
  


“Why do you care?” Nathan snapped,flinching at her gentle touch as she disinfected the cut above his brow. Max hadn’t said a word. She kept working and bandaged him.   
“Did you not hear me you--”

“Nathan, you’re hurt because of me. Just let me help you for godsake,” she snapped back at him, her eyes still filled with tears. Not one fell. They just sat in her eyes and she wiped them as soon as they were going to fall, and betray her cool exterior.

Nathan was taken aback. He had never seen her so upset over him. He didn’t know whether or not to yell at her for just being rude and ignorant. Instead he stayed quiet.

"I am going to kill Warren," she muttered as she finished bandaging him. She sighed and wiped her eyes again. "Do you want me to take you to the hospital?"

“No. I can drive myself,” he growled, retracting from her soft fingers. Tears overflowed her big eyes. And before Nathan knew it, he had a sobbing girl in his bedroom. He tried to ignore her irritating sobs but one thing she kept saying was _I’m sorry...I’m so sorry…_

Nathan stared at her. Was she really sorry for him? Did she hate him like everyone else did?

“Thanks, Max…” he said softly before getting up. “Really. Thanks”

That day seemed like eons ago. He knew she didn’t hate him anymore, but she would hate what he did to punish himself. He starved himself. Forgot to eat. Little red stretch marks appeared on his hips and tummy until his ribs began to jut out. His arms and thighs were riddled with inch long scars. Max had never seen Nathan nude before and he never wanted her to. She would be disgusted with him. What would she say? When was the last time you ate?   
Not even he could really remember what the last thing he ate. Maybe a couple chips Victoria offered? He didn’t know.

Nathan pinched and pulled at the skin of his stomach. He couldn’t even feel pain anymore, except when he hurt himself.

“Disgusting.”

Oh god what would Max say? Would she burst into tears when she saw him like this? Probably. Nathan hated making the girl he cared about cry. She cried when she saw him all beaten up when he fought assholes, she cried when he told her about the side effects of his medication.

She would for sure cry if he hurt himself again. The look on her face would be too much for him to bear. Nathan made Max cry over him far too much.   
  


And of course. It was all his fault. Everything always is.

But Max loved him. She loved him for him. Max was the only constant in his life that he truly needed.

Tears welled in his red eyes. She would accept him. She Loved Him.   
  


And Max always would. How could be so selfish.

**He was Nathan Prescott. Of course he was selfish.**


End file.
